Jakarta – Political experts concluded during a book discussion Friday the awkward transition from authoritarianism to democracy in post-Soeharto Indonesia resulted in the birth of "local kings" instead of local managers.
"Decentralization revived old political structures that probably were and are anti-democratic in nature. The awkward transition created a phenomenon of free-floating elites," political observer Daniel Sparringa said at the launch of Politik Lokal di Indonesia.
The book was translated from its English version "Renegotiating Boundaries: Local Politics in Post-Soeharto Indonesia", by Bernard Hidayat. It is a compilation of the results of a two-year research on political practices in Indonesian regions, which was conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV).
Daniel said the politics of identity, described in chapters of the book as "widely developing", posed a serious threat to democracy.
"The act of manipulating identities for political purposes is misleading and dangerous because it results in worrying fragmentations," he warned. Regional governments were developing local colors in a communal, sectarian and primordial way, and "not quite the way we wanted it", he added.
Another political observer and researcher, Daniel Dakidae, said the repression of indigenous groups in Indonesia during the Soeharto regime created the underlying driving force of the fragmentations.
"In the past, the government handled indigenous groups (with the use of) violence. The desire to be in power has long been present among (indigenous groups), but repression kept it unexpressed," he said.
Henk Schulte Nordholt, the editor of the book, said contrary to international views, common Indonesian people were more politically aware and active.
"They had to be, because they are now involved in the regional elections, which means they can't escape from being politically aware," he said.
Nordholt cited a comparison between Indonesians and Americans, saying more Indonesians exercised their right to vote, resulting in the appointment of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whom he said was a better choice than George W. Bush.
Unfortunately, he said, this political awareness and involvement is not balanced by similar positive improvements among the leaders of the political parties in the regions.
Henk referred to an example from Banten, where established jawaras (local leaders of the economy) expanded their networks and resolved into politics after investing in the economic sector.
"These economic leaders were prominent figures in sponsoring the expensive cost of politicians in the region. They were controlling the government then, and they're controlling the government now," he said. (lva)